Counter Leona

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Leona is a very resistant champion who plays support in most games. She brings a lot of controls to the lane, which makes her very strong with an aggressive AD Carry. Her huge ability to engage, that forces her into firing into the crowd, makes her play quite tanky to get enough survival.

Leona is a resistant support, good in close combat, who has a number of controls. Her combo Ultimate + E + Q gives her a potentially devastating engage that can reduce the botlane to dust. An incredibly powerful support when she has the advantage in the lane phase, Leona will however be in trouble if she is dominated. It would be best to chose champions that can counter the combo and know how to place yourself so that you don't suffer the wrath of the little lady.

Leona's Strengths

The combo of death

• Leona's combo is a double punishment. Her E stuns you and lets her Dash at you, then she can follow up with her Q to stun you a second time. The only solution is to avoid her E, especially if you are in difficulty in the lane.

• While Leona's combo can be deadly in many situations, don't forget that you can also turn it against her. With a tanky support for example, you can bait Leona and force her to Dash at you, only to punish her with a counter engage. Careful, to use this strategy you must be sure that you will win the battle.

• Leona's ultimate is a zone stun. If you are at the centre of a group you will take the full hit. It is very important not to stick next to your lane partner. That way she can't use her R on both champions.

• Leona's R is difficult to avoid if you don't have a Dash. It is best to chose an Ad with an escape to counter this. Champions like Graves, Ezreal or Corki would be best at avoiding this spell.

• Having control of the bushes in the lane is very important in winning a match against Leona. Always try to have vision in the bushes where she is, this will make it a lot easier to avoid her E.

A double edged champion

A Leona who is starting to win her lane is likely to become a real war machine. If you are in trouble then you really shouldn't do anything or you risk taking the penalty of her combo of death. This means that the first fights will be more decisive than usual. If Leona is struglling then she won't be much use, and will be risking death with every combo attempted. One solution is to invest in a lot of wards at level 1 to have the best vision. You will also have to keep an eye on your own and Leona's level. Don't forget that the level 2 and 3 caps are decisive. If she has her combo (at level 2) before you, escape until you reach the same level.

General Mechanics

• Like Blitz or Thresh's grab, Leona's E is difficult to dodge if you don't see it coming. Always keep an eye on her and take her cooldowns into account.

• Champions with a Dash are a good alternative for easily dodging the E and the ultimate, such as Ezreal, Graves or even Sivir (with her Shield).

• A tanky support is a also interesting, basically a Taric, Nunu or Alistar will be more difficult to chew than a Sona or a Soraka.

Leona Counters

Janna

Janna is an excellent counter to Leona as long as you have good reflexes and nerves of steel. Your tornado can completely ruin her E + Q. The timing isn't that obvious to start with but your will quickly get the hang of it. In the same way, your Ultimate is an ideal counter-engage to Leona's ultimate. Be careful to always keep a good distance because you are very weak. Stay in your carry's shadow and push back any attempts from Leona. She will quickly become less useful than you.

Alistar

In the same way as Janna, Alistar can easily counter Leona's combo. Your Headbutt will keep your carry out of danger. Also the natural resistance of the bull won't make you very appealing and Leona will think twice before engaging with you. Another big positive: you have a heal that Leona doesn't have.

Lulu

Lulu has an extremely violent poke. Her combined auto-attack and Q will make her victorious in trades. The only way for Leona win is if she quickly and violently engages Lulu or the AD carry, but the many controls of the purple yordle will be very good for controlling Leona's combo. After the use of Zenith, Lulu could use her W to prevent Leona from placing her Q. She has many ways of keeping Leona at distance from her AD carry.